Acombination of technology and genetics has transformed the poultry industry into a highly complex business over the past thirty years. Tilapias are likened to chickens because the latter, unlike other major animal food commodi ties, can be mass produced from eggs, intensively farmed in tiers in three-dimensional "batteries" and can convert plant products into animal protein at a very efficient and economical 2:1 ratio. Tilapias, like chickens, are a source of low-priced animal protein. Both can be farmed highly profitably in a variety of situations from backyard enterprises to high-technology systems; both can be marketed in a variety of value-added products.